2020 Tata Altroz - Expected Price Comparison Maruti Baleno, Hyundai i20

As a refresher, the Hyundai Elite i20 starts at Rs. 5.53 lakh while the Maruti Suzuki Baleno starts at Rs. 5.59 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). So, we expect Tata to price the Altroz similarly. It’s worth noting that the Altroz is the only diesel car in its segment that has BS6-ready petrol and diesel engines. The Baleno’s only has its petrol engine ready to meet BS6 emission norms.

Expected Price: 2020 Tata Altroz XE Variant

To begin with, the base XE variant of the Tata Altroz could carry a price tag of Rs. 5.49 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs. 6.99 lakh for the diesel. The diesel variants have typically maintained about Rs. 1.0 lakh premium over equivalent petrol variants. But the BS6 norms go heavy on the diesel engines, which require more expensive equipment to pass the stringent emissions tests. So, for the Altroz the price gap could go up to Rs. 1.5 lakh.

Moreover, the 1.5-litre diesel engine is a turbocharged one with intercooler - same as the Tata Nexon. The petrol engine, on the other hand, is a smaller one - a 1.2-litre non-turbo unit from the Tiago and Tigor. So, the cost of manufacturing the bigger diesel engine with turbo, intercooler and added equipment to meet BS6 emission norms could cost about Rs. 1.5 lakh.

Expected Price: 2020 Tata Altroz XM Variant

The XM variant adds only a few features over the XE variant. The list includes features like music system, rear power windows, rear parcel tray and electrically-adjustable and foldable outside mirrors.

For these features, a premium of Rs. 20 - 25,000 sounds like a reasonable amount. Anything beyond that will mean that this variant is not worth buying in our books. We know what Tata did with the Nexon so it would be unreasonable to expect a reasonable gap here. So, we’re guessing it could be Rs. 50,000 more expensive over the XE variant.

Expected Price: 2020 Tata Altroz XT Variant

The XT variant adds a substantial number of features over the XM variant. The list includes 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, 2 extra rear speakers and tweeters, steering-mounted controls, rear-view camera, keyless entry with push-button start/stop, LED DRLs, front fog lamps, day/night inside mirror, auto start-stop (for petrol only), wheel covers and cooled glovebox.

For these features, we are expecting a price increase of Rs. 90,000 for the XT petrol variant. Meanwhile, the diesel variants don’t get the auto start/stop, so it could be about Rs. 10,000 cheaper. Thus, the expected price of the Tata Altroz XT petrol could be Rs. 6.89 lakh while the diesel variant could be Rs. 8.29 lakh.

Expected Price: 2020 Tata Altroz XZ & XZ (O) Variant

The reason we’re clubbing the XZ and XZ (O) variant together is because they’re very similar. The XZ (O) only gets one additional feature, which is a dual-tone roof.

The two top variants get rear defogger, washer and wiper, automatic projector headlamps, automatic wipers, automatic AC, rear AC vents, front and rear armrest, sunglass holder, smart key band, alloy wheels and ambient lights. For these features, Tata could charge about Rs. 1.0 lakh over the XT variant. Thus, the XZ variant with a petrol and diesel engine could cost Rs. 8.09 lakh and Rs. 9.19 lakh, respectively. The XZ (O) adds a dual-tone roof, which should cost about Rs. 20,000. So, the XZ (O) petrol could carry an ex-showroom price of Rs. 8.09 lakh while the XZ (O) diesel could cost Rs. 9.49 lakh.

Price Comparison: Tata Altroz vs Maruti Suzuki Baleno vs Hyundai Elite i20

As per our estimation, 2020 Tata ALtroz prices could cost between Rs. 5.49 and Rs. 8.09 lakh for the petrol variants. The diesel range could start at Rs.6.99 lakh and go up to Rs. 9.49 lakh.

For comparison, the Hyundai Elite i20 petrol variants are priced between Rs. 5.53 lakh and Rs. 8.09 lakh with a manual transmission. The Baleno’s petrol variant range starts at Rs. 5.59 lakh and goes up to Rs. 7.58 lakh with a manual transmission.

The i20’s variants with a diesel engine cost between Rs. 6.91 lakh and Rs. 9.34 lakh. The diesel variants of the Baleno are priced from Rs. 8.69 lakh to 8.68 lakh. It’s worth noting that the Altroz is the first car in the premium hatchback segment to come with a BS6 diesel engine. The i20 will become costlier once its diesel engine is upgraded to BS6. Meanwhile, the Baleno is not going to carry over the 1.25-litre diesel engine into the BS6 era.